Hooded changing garment

ABSTRACT

The changing garment protects the privacy of a wearer while removing or donning attire. The garment provides privacy by covering the wearer&#39;s body from view while the wearer changes his or her clothes underneath the garment. The garment includes a torso-covering portion, a lower portion covering the portion of the body not covered by the torso-covering portion, two sleeves attached to openings at the sides of the upper portion of the torso-covering portion. The sleeve openings at the torso are sufficiently large enough so that a person wearing the garment may retract their arms into the interior of the torso-covering portion. The sleeves are sufficiently long so that when a wearer&#39;s arms are pulled into the interior of the garment, the sleeves cover the sleeve openings so that the wearer&#39;s body is not visible to a prospective observer outside of the garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to apparel, and in particular to a garmentsuitable for wearing in a beach environment providing privacy for thechanging of clothing underneath the garment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many people visit beaches in order to participate in a wide variety ofwater activities. Examples of popular beach activities include surfing,snorkeling, boogie boarding, scuba diving, and swimming. When engagingin water-based activities, it is common to wear clothing specificallydesigned for the water environment.

Examples of clothing intended for wear in the water includes swimmingsuits such as swimming trunks, Speedos, and bikinis. In situations wherethe water is cold, protective suits such as wetsuits and drysuits areoften worn to provide additional comfort and protection againsthypothermia by insulating the wearer from the cold water.

While the clothing described above is certainly appropriate for wateractivities, quite often upon exiting the water, wearers of waterappropriate clothing desire to change into other clothing. For example,wearers of bikinis may find that their apparel is not deemed to beacceptable, or attracts undue attention in some settings away from thewater. While Speedos may be acceptable around the water or whileswimming in competition, in some settings away from the beach or a pool,Speedos are viewed by some with derision or ridicule. Swimmers wearingwetsuits and drysuits may find such garments to be uncomfortable uponleaving the water. The fabric used in wetsuits and drysuits may consistof neoprene layers several millimeters thick. For example, in watertemperatures of 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit, a wetsuit of 7 mm thick,insulating neoprene is recommended. However in air temperatures of asimilar range, a beachgoer may be comfortable in far lighter weightattire. Wetsuits and drysuits are generally tight fitting oftenincluding seals that squeeze tightly at the wrists or ankles. Wearersmay also find that these insulating suits constrict their movementsmaking it desirable to remove them when insulation from cold water isnot necessary. In some cases people may simply find wearing wet garmentsproblematic. For example, wet clothing may be damaging to the upholsteryof furniture or the interior of a car.

For at least the above reasons, people may wish to change out of theirbeach attire after participating in water activities at a beach orswimming pool. It may also be desired to travel to the beach wearingregular dry activity clothing and to change into swimwear at the beach.

In some cases, there may be no appropriate changing facilities near thewater. Depending on personal modesty, or the laws and mores of aparticular area, some people may want or need to guard their privacywhen changing clothes at a public beach. One solution is to changeclothes under the cover of a large beach towel. Changing garments whileholding a towel around one's body may be particularly difficult tomanage with tight fitting garments such as a wetsuit. Wetsuits are oftendifficult to don or remove even with two free hands and the body motionrequired to remove the garment may tend to cause the body to becomeuncovered.

Another solution is to provide a portable enclosure such as a tent inwhich a beachgoer can change into or out of swimwear. While thissolution can be successfully used, the solution requires carrying arounda fairly bulky item.

A desirable solution is to provide a wearable garment under which aperson may change clothing. A swimmer could change clothes by pullinghis or her arms, and the attire the swimmer desires to change intowithin the confines of the garment that is roomy enough to changeinside. Preferably the changing garment should cover the upper and lowerportions of the body so that optimal privacy is maintained for thechanger. The changing garment should be designed so that a person canpull their arms within the garment without leaving open holes in thesleeve or torso area to compromise the changer's privacy. Ideally thegarment will present an aesthetically pleasing appearance so that it iswearable on the beach.

Thus, a hooded changing garment solving the aforementioned problems isdesired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The hooded changing garment is a garment for protecting the privacy of awearer while removing or donning attire. The garment protects privacy bycovering the wearer's body from view while the wearer changes hisclothes underneath the garment. The garment includes a torso-coveringportion, a lower portion covering the portion of the body not covered bythe torso-covering portion, two sleeves attached to openings at thesides of the upper portion of the torso-covering portion. The sleeveopenings at the torso are sufficiently large enough so that when wearingthe garment the wearer may retract his or her arms into the interior ofthe torso-covering portion. The sleeves are sufficiently long so thatwhen a wearer's arms are pulled into the interior of the garment, thesleeves cover the sleeve openings so that the wearer's body is notvisible to a prospective observer outside of the garment.

A lower portion of the garment extends from the bottom of thetorso-covering portion and is open at the bottom. The lower portion ofthe garment is sufficiently long to cover portions of the body aboutwhich the wearer desires privacy and is sufficiently long so as topreserve the wearer's privacy while the wearer makes the body motionsnecessary to change into or out of attire such as swimming trunks, a wetsuit or a bikini underneath the changing garment. The changing garmentmay extend below the wearer's knees and may also be long enough toextend below a wearer's ankles when the garment is donned. The garmentmay also include a hood attached to the opening at the top of thetorso-covering portion. The hood may be provided with a drawstring forclosing the hood and the opening at the top of the torso-coveringportion.

The overall width of the torso and lower portion of the garment is wideenough so that the garment encloses a sufficient volume not to undulyconstrain the movements of the wearer once the wearer has retracted hisarms within the interior of the garment so that the wearer may changeinto or out of attire, such as a swim suit and/or a wet suit.

The lower portion of the garment may be hemmed, with the hem containinga drawstring that can be used to tighten the garment around the body.The lower portion of the garment may be rolled up around a wearer's bodywith the hem of the garment tightened using the drawstring to hold thegarment in place around the waist of the wearer. In this configurationthe changing garment presents an appearance similar to a conventionalsweatshirt. The changing garment may be made of cotton fleece materialas used for a conventional sweatshirt. The material may also be made ofa water absorbent material.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a hooded changinggarment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the changing garment with the wearer's armsretracted into the garment.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the lower portion of the changinggarment showing the drawstring in the changing garment hem.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the changing garment rolled up and tied off atwaist using the drawstring.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing wearer changing into a swimsuitunderneath the changing garment.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the changing garment showing functionaldimensions.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a garment for changing into and out of attireunderneath the garment while maintaining the wearer's privacy.

FIGS. 1-6 show the details of a changing garment in accordance with theinvention. FIG. 1 shows a beachgoer 36 wearing the changing garment 20at the beach 32. The changing garment 20 is made of cotton sweatshirt orcotton fleece material. The changing garment 20 includes a hood 22 whichcan cover the head of the wearer or which can be removed from the headand folded back along the wearer's shoulders. The hood 22 may beprovided with a hood drawstring 38 threaded through the hem in thecircumference of the hood 22. Pulling the ends of the hood drawstring 38tight secures the hood 22 to the head of the wearer if the hood is beingworn, and also closes up the top of the changing garment 20.

A pouch 34 may be provided near waist level on the front of the changinggarment 20. The pouch 34 has open sides in which the wearer may inserthis or her hands to protect them from exposure to the sun or to coldweather.

The changing garment 20 has preferably full length sleeves 24 whichextend to the wrists of the wearer 36 covering substantially all of thewearer's arms as shown in FIG. 1.

The lower portion of the changing garment 26 extends substantially belowthe knees of the wearer. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower portion of thechanging garment 26 may extend below the ankles of the wearer 36.Additional details of the lower portion of the changing garment 26 maybe understood by referring to FIGS. 1 and 3. The bottom of the lowerportion of the garment is provided with a hem 28. A drawstring 30 may bethreaded through the hem of the changing garment. The changing garment20 is open at the bottom.

Additional features of the changing garment may be understood byreferring to FIG. 2. The wearer of the changing garment 20 has withdrawnhis arms from the sleeves 24 of the garment into the interior of thetorso-covering portion of the changing garment 20. Because the sleeves24 extend substantially below the attachment point to the torso of thegarment, when the arms of the wearer are retracted into the changinggarment 20, no opening is created by the retraction of the arms into thegarment through which the body of the wearer may be viewed.

The particular dimensions of the garment and character of the materialused for the garment allow retracting the arms from the sleeves into theinterior of the torso and lower portion of the changing garment. Thefleece material of the changing garment is stretchable which assists thewearer in maneuvering his arms out of the sleeves while wearing thechanging garment. The dimensions of the sleeves at the attachment pointto the torso are relatively large and enable the wearer of the changinggarment to retract the elbows from the sleeves and into the interior ofthe changing garment without removing the changing garment. The changinggarment is also oversized in comparison with a garment conventionallyproviding ample room for removing beach attire. Because the changinggarment is open at the bottom, during the changing process, the wearer'sprivacy is maintained due to the length of the changing garment.Preferably, the lower portion of the garment extends substantially near(within several inches of) the feet of the wearer.

The relationship of the dimensions for the changing garment is madeclear by referring to FIG. 6. The dimension D1 describes the width ofthe sleeve at the torso. The D1 dimension must be sufficiently large sothat a wearer can retract their arms into the interior of the changinggarment without requiring the wearer to be extraordinarily flexible. Thedimension D2 describes the width of the garment about the shoulders. Thewidth of the changing garment at the waist and across the lower portionof the garment are preferably substantially the same dimension as D2,but may alternatively be somewhat larger than D2. This dimension must belarge enough to provide enough room within the changing garment tochange into or out of attire such as a wet suit, swimming trunks or abikini. However making D2 too large will provide a bulky appearance thatmay detract for the overall aesthetic appearance of the changinggarment. The sleeve is tapered to a dimension D3 at the wrist. Thedimension D3 is sufficiently large so that the garment does not bind tothe wearer's arm making it difficult to retract the arms from thesleeves into the interior of the garment without removing the garment.

In an example embodiment, a changing garment for a person weighing about200 lbs and about six feet tall might be made of cotton fleece material,with the upper arm dimension D1 being approximately 13 inches, the crossshoulder with dimension D2 being approximately 26 inches, and the wristdimension D3 being approximately 6 inches. The cross section of thechanging garment at the waist and at the lower hem is approximately 27inches. The described garment is large enough to allow changing into orout of a wetsuit. Other types of swimming attire such as swimming trunkscan be changed within a somewhat smaller changing garment and thus thegarment may be provided in a more close fitting size if changing into orout of wetsuits is not required.

As shown in FIG. 4, the changing garment 20 may be worn in aconfiguration providing an appearance very similar to a conventionalsweatshirt. The lower portion of the changing garment 26 may be rolledup the wearer's body into a compact configuration. In this configurationthe garment hem 28 is positioned near the waist of the wearer. The hemdrawstring 30 may be pulled tight and tied off, holding the lowerportion of the garment in a compact folded arrangement at the waist ofthe changing garment 20.

The method of changing attire underneath the changing garment may beunderstood while referring to FIG. 5. After the wearer retracts his orher arms within the interior of the changing garment 20 as describedabove, the user may use both hands to remove the attire currently beingworn. This first attire may be dropped out of the open bottom of thechanging garment 20. The attire the wearer wants to change into such asswimming trunks 40 may be pulled into the interior of the changinggarment 20 through the open bottom of the changing garment.Alternatively, attire 40 may be pulled into the garment interior bygrasping the attire to be donned 40 in one hand and pulling it throughthe changing garment sleeves 24 while the wearer retracts his arm withinthe changing garment interior. Attire may also be inserted into orremoved from the interior of the garment through the opening for thehead at the top of the changing garment. Once the attire is within theinterior of the garment, the wearer may seal up the garment by closingthe top with the hood area or alternatively leave the hood opening openin order to visual observe progress in putting on or taking off attireunder the changing garment. The wearer may then change into a newgarment using both hands without fear that the garment would becomeunwrapped from the wearer's body as might happen while changing under atowel.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the sleeves may be shorterthan full-length but extending far enough so that when the wearer's armsare retracted into the garment, the wearer's torso is not exposedthrough the arm openings. For example, the sleeves may extend to theelbow of the wearer. The length of the sleeve is sufficiently long sothat the sleeve extends below the lower portion of the attachment of thesleeve at the shoulder, so that when the wearer's arms are retractedwithin the garment, the torso of the wearer remains covered. Thechanging garment may be shorter than ankle length, for example, aknee-length garment would allow changing with only slightly more carethan an ankle-length garment to maintain the wearer's privacy.

Materials other than cotton fleece may be used. The material used toconstruct the changing garment may be a water absorbent material thatallows the garment to be used as a towel.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A changing garment for donning or removing attire underneath thechanging garment, the changing garment comprising: a torso-coveringportion, the torso-covering portion being open at the top; two sleeves,the sleeves being attached to sleeve openings on opposite sides of thetorso-covering portion, the openings being sufficiently large to allow awearer of the changing garment to retract his arms from the sleeves andinto the torso-covering portion without removing the changing garment,the sleeves extending to the respective wrists of the wearer of thegarment so that the body of the wearer is not visible from outside ofthe garment through the sleeve openings; and a lower portion extendingfrom the bottom of the torso-covering portion, the lower portionterminating in a hem and extending to at least the wearer's ankles toallow the wearer to change, don or remove attire within the garmentwithout exposing the wearer's body; wherein the torso-covering portionand the lower portion of the garment are sufficiently wide enough toallow a wearer to don or remove attire without removing the changinggarment. 2-3. (canceled)
 4. The changing garment according to claim 1,wherein the lower hem includes a drawstring threaded through the lowerhem, whereby when the lower hem drawstring is pulled taut, the lower hemtightens around the body of a wearer of the garment.
 5. The changinggarment according to claim 1, further comprising a hood attached to theopening at the top of the torso-covering portion of the changinggarment, the circumference of the hood having a hood hem, the changinggarment further having a hood drawstring threaded through the hood hem,whereby pulling the ends of the hood drawstring closes the opening atthe top of the torso-covering portion around the neck of a wearer of thegarment.
 6. The changing garment according to claim 1, wherein thechanging garment is made of cotton fleece material.
 7. The changinggarment according to claim 1, wherein the changing garment is made of awater-absorbing material. 8-9. (canceled)
 10. The changing garmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the torso covering portion furtherincludes a pouch located near the waist level of the front portion ofthe changing garment